1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a floor care appliance such as a vacuum cleaner and, more specifically, to an upright vacuum cleaner having interchangeable dirt separating and collecting systems sidewardly disposed in the vacuum cleaner housing.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
Upright vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. Typically, these upright vacuum cleaners include a vacuum cleaner housing pivotally mounted to a vacuum cleaner foot. The foot is formed with a nozzle opening and may include an agitator mounted therein for loosening dirt and debris from a floor surface. A motor may be mounted to either the foot or the housing for producing suction at the nozzle opening. The suction at the nozzle opening picks up the loosened dirt and debris and produces a stream of dirt-laden air which is ducted to the vacuum cleaner housing.
It is known in the art to provide vacuum cleaners with interchangeable particle separating and dirt collecting systems. Recent consumer demand has forced floor care appliance and vacuum cleaner designers to design floor care appliances and vacuum cleaners with improved performance, particularly with respect to filtration performance. An example of a floor care appliance with improved cleaning and filtration performance is found in Hoover Case 2521, U.S. Ser. No. 09/519,106 filed on Mar. 6, 2000, owned by a common assignee, and incorporated by reference fully herein. The dirt collecting system presented therein utilizes a filtration member utilizing a layer of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) as the filtration media which is known to have superior filtration characteristics with the convenience of a bagless dirt cup. At the same time, consumers wish to retain the choice in which type of dirt collecting system the cleaner employs, especially with respect to utilizing a disposable or otherwise filtration bag which some consumers regards as more desirable. There exists a need in the art for a floor care appliance such as a vacuum cleaner which gives consumers the option of choosing a cleaner which has the superior filtration characteristics utilizing a filtration media such as ePTFE or a disposable or otherwise filtration bag.
Consumers also desire to see the particle separating and collecting occurring within the dirt collecting system.
The present invention fulfills all of the aforementioned needs by providing a vacuum cleaner wherein a dirt collecting system comprised of a dirt cup and a filtration member utilizing ePTFE that is interchangeable with a dirt collecting system comprised of a filtration bag container and a filtration bag. Both the dirt cup and bag container are made from a translucent material to allowing their interior volume to be seen into. Only a portion of the dirt cup or bag container are obscured by view when inserted into the cleaner housing so that one portion of either version of the dirt collecting system can be seen in the area in the front or side of the cleaner.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved floor care appliance.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved floor care appliance having an interchangeable particle separating and collecting system.
It is yet still another object of the invention to provide an improved floor care appliance having an interchangeable particle separating and collecting system wherein one of the particle separating and collecting systems is a dirt cup and a filtration member utilizing ePTFE as the filtration media.
It is yet still another object of the invention to provide an improved floor care appliance having an interchangeable particle separating and collecting system wherein one of the particle separating and collecting systems is a bag container and a filtration bag.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved floor care appliance having a particle separating and collecting system that is partially visible from the area in the front of the floor care appliance.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved floor care appliance having a particle separating and collecting system that is partially not visible from the area in the front of the floor care appliance.